Eating utensil to monitor and regulate dietary intake

ABSTRACT

Dietary intake regulating devices that can assist a user in measuring his or her dietary intake and optionally his or her physical activity are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE

The present application is a continuation of and claims benefit to U.S.application Ser. No. 14/884,067, filed on 2015 Oct. 15, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/408,622, filed on Mar. 20,2009, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to dietary intake regulating devicesand more specifically to dietary intake regulating devices that canassist a user in measuring his or her dietary intake and optionally hisor her physical activity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in theoccurrence of obesity in the United States and other countries aroundthe world. This increase in obesity has occurred even as improvedapproaches to weight control have been developed. The Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has recently estimated that theprevalence of obesity in the United States is about thirty-four percent.Obesity is a significant health problem and has been shown to becausative of or associated with a number of serious health conditions,including diabetes and heart disease.

Various devices for modifying eating behavior to assist in weightcontrol have been reported. Dubus et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,089discloses a device with a timer that can be programmed to emit signalsat predetermined intervals to help a user regulate his or her eatingspeed. However, the device is not capable of measuring the actual bitesof food taken by a user. LePine, US Patent Application Publication No.US 2007/0098856 A1 discloses a chewing and swallowing measuring device.However, it provides little practical guidance on how the device doesthis and the device is not capable of measuring the actual bites of foodtaken by a user. Gold, US Patent Application Publication No. US2008/0276461 A1 discloses a device that measures bites of food taken bya user using a pressure sensor that detects the weight of food. However,the ability of the pressure sensor of the device to distinguish betweenthe weight of the food and other sources of pressure is unclear.

Therefore, there is a need for new approaches and devices to assist inweight control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Dietary intake regulating devices that can assist a user in measuringhis or her dietary intake and optionally his or her physical activityare disclosed.

In one embodiment, the dietary intake regulating device comprises anenclosure and one or more extensions. Both the enclosure and theextensions include various types of sensors for detecting differentparameters such as touch sensors, stretch sensors, motion sensors,pressure sensors, photo sensors and the like. In combination, thevarious sensors can be used to determine the user's dietary intake and,in certain embodiments, the user's activity and non-activity levels and,if desired, their equivalence in calories. The two basic types ofextensions that can be used with the enclosure are dietary intake meterextensions for measuring calories and fat consumed and activity andnon-activity meter extensions for measuring calories and fat burned andnon-activity behaviors. The enclosure can be configured to accept anytype of extension that measures the user's dietary intake, the user'sactivity or non-activity levels or both, and/or provides theirequivalence in calories, including multiple extensions sourced fromthird parties that measure the number of calories consumed and burnedand the non-activity behaviors. The dietary intake regulating device canalso be used as an on-the-fly calorie balance tracking device thatalerts the user at any time of the day if he or she is in positive ornegative caloric balance and therefore encourages the user to reduce hisor her dietary intake or augment his or her physical activity. Ifdesired, the dietary intake regulating device can be made partially orentirely waterproof to prevent damage to electrical components thatcould occur, for example, when washing or cleaning the device.

In one aspect of the present invention, the dietary intake regulatingdevice is configured to detect primarily the user's bite and secondarilythe user's dietary intake. Various procedures can be used for detectingthe user's bite, including movement of the food, lip touch, luminosityand the like. By measuring bite, the dietary intake regulating deviceguides the user in pacing his or her eating speed by monitoring andregulating the elapsed time between two bites and spreading a meal overa pre-defined time period in order to allow the user to feel satiated.Optionally, the dietary intake regulating device can be configured tocount the number of bites taken during a meal or snack and estimate thenumber of calories consumed during the meal or snack.

In another aspect of the present invention, the dietary intakeregulating device is configured to measure the user's activity andnon-activity levels in addition to bite and dietary intake. Various bodymotion sensors can be included in the device to measure activity, suchas the number of steps or strides taken and walking/running distance, ornon-activity, such as resting, napping and sleeping. Optionally, thedietary intake regulating device can be configured to calculate thenumber of calories burned during physical activity or to assign positiveor negative caloric values based on non-activity behaviors.

By measuring calories consumed during a meal or snack and burned duringphysical activity and by assigning positive or negative caloric valuesbased on non-activity behaviors, the dietary intake regulating devicecan assist the user in developing and maintaining good eating, physicalactivity and resting habits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in detail below with reference to the following drawings.These depict particular embodiments of the invention and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.All of the drawings are schematics rather than precise representationsand are not drawn to scale.

FIGS. 1A 1B are schematic representations illustrating various exemplaryconfigurations of a dietary intake regulating device, in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of adietary intake regulating device, in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation illustrating one exemplary methodof measuring bites of food taken by a user, in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary enclosure, in accordance withthe preset invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary extension, in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary remote station communicatingwith an exemplary enclosure, in accordance with the present invention;and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an alternate embodiment in which a thirdparty device, Internet or network access and a server are used inconjunction with a remote station and a dietary intake regulatingdevice, in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1B and 2, schematic representations illustratingvarious configurations of a dietary intake regulating device 10, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention, are shown. Thedietary intake regulating device 10 includes one or more electriccircuits 11 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) wherein at least one of the electricalcircuits 11 (FIG. 4) comprises a processor unit 24 that is electricallycoupled to a control panel 28, a memory unit 32 and a user-utensilinterface 30, and wherein, if the dietary intake regulating device 10includes two or more electric circuits 11, each electric circuit 11communicates either by being electrically coupled with another electriccircuit 11 or by using a data link unit 26 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) that isconfigured to exchange analog or digital signals using wired or wirelesscommunication with the other electric circuits 11, or both. The dietaryintake regulating device 10 furthermore includes a set of sensors (FIGS.1B (top panel), 4, 5 and 6) comprising one or more sensors that areconfigured with the processor unit 24 to detect bites of food taken by auser and that are electrically coupled to one or more of the electriccircuits 11. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B, top panel, theset of sensors includes one or more pressure sensors 36, stretch sensors37, motion sensors 38, touch sensors 48 and photo sensors 49. Thedietary intake regulating device 10 furthermore includes one or morebattery units 34 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) for providing power to the electriccircuits 11. The dietary intake regulating device 10 includes a portionconfigured as a food carrier (see exemplary components 42 and 43 ofFIGS. 1B and 2) and another portion configured as a non-food carrier(see exemplary component 20 of FIGS. 1B and 2). The electric circuits 11are located in the food carrier portion, the non-food carrier portion,or both. The dietary intake regulating device 10 may have analog ordigital signal links to other electric circuits 11, a remote station 50(FIG. 6), a third party device 60 (FIG. 7) or any desired combinationthereof.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the dietary intakeregulating devise 10 of the present invention is configured to includean enclosure 20 and an extension 40. This embodiment containing theenclosure 20 and the extension 40 is sometimes referred to herein as adietary intake and activity meter platform, since it can be configuredto determine the user's dietary intake and, in certain embodiments, theuser's activity or non-activity levels and, if desired, theirequivalence in calories. In one such embodiment, the electric circuit 11of the dietary intake regulating device 10 containing the processor unit24 is included in the enclosure 20 and the other electric circuits 11 ofthe dietary intake regulating device 10 are included in the extension40. If desired, third party extensions 52 (FIG. 7) such as dietaryintake meter extensions and activity meter extensions can connect to theenclosure 20 in place of or in addition to the extension 40.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, schematic representationsillustrating various configurations of the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 configured as the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,are shown. The dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentincludes the enclosure 20 and the extension 40 that both contain variouselectrical components. The enclosure 20 is configured to operate eitheras a stand-alone device (device 203 in FIG. 1B containing a food carrierportion 204, where the food carrier portion 204 is a regular kitchenutensil such as a tablespoon and not an extension 40) or as a maincomponent that connects to detachable (device 201 in FIG. 1B), detached(FIG. 1A and device 202 in FIG. 1B) or permanently attached (device 200in FIG. 1B) extensions 40. The enclosure 20 can also be configured tooperate as a folding multi-function knife by permanently attachingseveral extensions 40 with a folding mechanism such as, e.g., a Swissarmy knife with a spoon, knife, fork, and the like. The enclosure 20 canaccept any extension 40 that operates as a dietary intake regulator ormeter for pacing bites or measuring calories and fat consumed, and/or anactivity meter for measuring physical activities, calories and fatburned or measuring sleeping activities. Suitable extensions 40 include,for example, food carrier extensions 41 such as a utensil food carrierextension 42 and a non-utensil food carrier extension 43, and activitymeter extensions 44 such as a pedometer, sleep meter and the like.

Referring again to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, schematic representationsillustrating various exemplary configurations for operation of thedietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activitymeter platform embodiment in a dietary intake mode (extensions 41 inFIG. 1A, 42 in FIG. 1B and 43 in FIG. 2) to primarily detect bites, orfor operation of the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment in an activity mode (extension 44 in FIG. 1A) to primarilydetect activity or non-activity behaviors, are shown. In the dietaryintake mode, the enclosure 20 can be either a handle (FIG. 1B), i.e.,the part of the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentthat is touched by the user's hand to carry food, or a casing (FIG. 2)that is attached to the user's hand, wrist, finger, or other body partusing rings (not shown), bracelets 23, straps (not shown), clips (notshown), and the like. In the activity mode, the enclosure 20 can be acasing that is kept in user's pocket, bag, purse and the like, orclipped/attached to a necklace, a belt, a cloth garment and the like.

If desired, the enclosure 20 may be configured to be electricallyisolated using an electrical isolation material 21 (FIG. 1B) from theextension 40 depending on the sensors that are used in the extension 40.

The enclosure 20 (FIG. 4) may have analog or digital signal links to theextensions 40 (FIG. 5), a remote station 50 (FIGS. 6 and 7), a thirdparty device 60 (FIG. 7) or any desired combination thereof. A processorunit 24 (FIG. 4) receives the sensor signals via direct electricalconnections (devices 200 and 201 in FIG. 1B), wireless communication 45(FIG. 1A, and device 202 in FIG. 1B) or wired communication 146 (FIG.2).

The external casings of the dietary intake regulating device 10 and thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment, that is, theenclosure 20 and the extension 40, can be made of various well-knowmaterials used in the manufacture of electronic devices, such as metalsand plastics. The dietary intake regulating device 10 and the enclosure20 typically include a display casing made of any material (plastic,glass, and the like) that is transparent enough to display data.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram representation of an exemplaryelectric circuit 11 for inclusion in the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 or an exemplary enclosure 20, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention, is shown. The electric circuit 11 or theenclosure 20 in the illustrated embodiment include a processor unit 24,a data link unit 26, a control panel 28, a user-utensil interface 30, amemory unit 32 and a battery unit 34. The electric circuit 11 or theenclosure 20 also include a plurality of sensors 35 such as a pressuresensor 36, a stretch sensor 37 and a motion sensor 38. However, itshould be understood that components can be added to or removed from theelectric circuit 11 or the enclosure 20 or otherwise changed withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

The processor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulating device 10 isconfigured to accurately detect a bite of food by the user, using one orany combination of sensors located in the electric circuits 11. Theprocessor unit 24 of the enclosure 20 is configured to accurately detecta bite, the activity, and the non-activity of the user, using one or anycombination of sensors located in the enclosure 20 and the extension 40.The processor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulating device 10 or theenclosure 20 processes the signals and information from input componentsor devices such as control panels, counters, timers, sensors and thelike, stores processed information in the memory unit 32, and deliversprocessed information and associated alerts to components of theuser-utensil interface 30 such as visual, optical, audible, and/ortactile signal devices.

The data link unit 26 is configured to send and receive data or signalsto and from the electric circuits 11 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6), remote stations50 (FIG. 6), third party devices 60 (FIG. 7) or various combinationsthereof. In another embodiment, the data link unit 26 is configured tosend and receive data or signals to and from the enclosure 20 (FIG. 4),extensions 40 (FIG. 5), remote stations 50 (FIG. 6), third party devices60 (FIG. 7) or various combinations thereof. The data links 26 can bebased on wired communication, such as PS/2, USB, FireWire, DVI, HDMI,Serial, Parallel, and the like, or on wireless communication, such asIR, RF, Bluetooth, WLAN, WWAN, 3G, and the like, or various combinationsof wired and wireless communication. The data links may be enabledmanually, such as by plugging in a USB cable, or automatically, such asby connecting automatically when in the proximity of a Bluetoothtransmitter. In the case of wireless data links, the data link unit 26includes an antenna to receive and transmit data or signals.

The control panel 28 is configured to allow the user to control anyconfigurable data or settings, such as display settings, alert types,time between two bites, number of calories associated with bites and thelike. The technology of the control panel 28 can contain a button, aswitch, a motion sensing action using motion sensors, a touch sensingaction using touch sensors, a mechanical timer, and the like. Thecontrol panel 28 may allow a user to turn the dietary intake eatingdevice 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentthereof on and off, increase or decrease the number of minutes of thesatiety timer or bite timer, switch between visual, audible and tactilesignaling device or any combination thereof, and the like. For example,a double-tap on the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment may change the displaysettings, or a mechanical timer may be set as a satiety meter to measurethe time since the beginning of the meal.

The user-utensil interface 30 is configured to produce visual, optical,audible, and/or tactile signals based on specific events or alertsgenerated by the processor unit 24 such as bite number, bite timeinterval, battery level, setting, bite history, and the like. Theuser-utensil interface 30 can include a visual or optical signalingdevice that is configured to inform or alert the user based on specificevents. The technology of the visual or optical signaling device may useLight-emitting diode (LED), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Plasma,Digital Light Processing (DLP), Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS), DirectDrive Image Light Amplifier (D-ILA), Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), HighTemperature Poly-Silicon (HTPS), Surface-conduction Electron-emitterDisplay (SED), electro-luminescent backlight technology and the like.The visual or optical signaling device may use one or more of anumerical display, text display, graphical display, blinking indicator,color indicator, and the like. The user-utensil interface 30 can includean audible signaling device that is configured to calm, alert or informthe user based on specific events. The technology of the audiblesignaling device can be a miniature speaker or vibrator and the like.The audible signal may be a buzz, music or voice announcing the data ora healthy tip based on the alert type. The user-utensil interface 30 caninclude a tactile signaling device that is configured to alert the userbased on specific events. The technology of the tactile signaling devicecan be a miniature vibrator, a small heating component, and the like.

The memory unit 32 is configured to record any data generated internallyfrom sensors, timers and other components or to receive data sent by anexternal device via data links. The memory unit may be split in twoareas or sub-units: one only accessible by the processor unit, known asprimary storage where the processor unit reads instructions stored thereand executes them as required, and a second one not directly accessibleby the processor unit, known as secondary storage, that is used to storeany type of data such as event logs, music files, video files, personalfiles, and the like. The technology used for the memory can be aremovable or non-removable memory such as flash memory, Random AccessMemory (RAM), USB drive, Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Secure Digital (SD),Mini-SD, Micro-SD, and the like. Data may be encrypted based on the needto secure data and protect its access.

The battery unit 34 can be configured to include a removable battery,which can be a rechargeable or a replaceable battery, or anon-removable, rechargeable battery. The battery unit 34 can also beconfigured as a power supply port which can connect directly to anexternal power supply source. The battery unit 34 is used to providepower to the dietary intake regulating device 10, the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment or the remote station 50.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of an exemplary extension 40,that includes an exemplary electric circuit 11, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, is shown. The extension 40 in theillustrated embodiment includes a set of complementary sensors 47 suchas the pressure sensor 36, the motion sensor 38, a touch sensor 48 and aphoto sensor 49. In general, the extensions 40 are dietary intakemeters, activity meters or non-activity meters. As discussed above, theextensions 40 can be configured to be detached (FIG. 1A and device 202in FIG. 1B), detachable (device 201 in FIG. 1B) or permanently attached(device 200 in FIG. 1B) to the enclosure 20. Extensions 40 that aredetached or detachable can be easily replaced with another extension 40,thereby allowing the use of multiple dietary intake and activity meterswith a single enclosure 20. The extension 40 communicates data or sensorsignals to the processor unit 24 of the enclosure 20 via directelectrical connections or via data links generated by data link units onboth the extension 40 and the enclosure 20.

In general, the extension 40, when used as a dietary intake meter, canbe any device that measures dietary intake. Suitable dietary intakemeter extension include, for example, food carrier extensions 41 (FIGS.1A, 1B and 2) and third party extensions 52 (FIG. 7). A food carrierextension 41 is configured to work with the enclosure 20 to detectbites. The food carrier is the part of the food carrier extension 41that touches and carries food to the mouth, and, in the case of anutensil food carrier extension 42, subsequently touches or enters themouth partially or entirely. The food carrier may include one or more ofthe complementary sensors 47, such as the pressure sensor 36, the motionsensor 38, the touch sensor 48 and the photo sensor 49. Signals from thecomplementary sensors 47 are sent to the processor unit 24 of theenclosure 20 to improve the bite detection accuracy. The food carrierextension 41 can be the utensil food carrier extension 42 or thenon-utensil food carrier extension 43. The utensil food carrierextension 42 can be one or more of a fork, a spoon, a chopstick, aknife, or any other similar eating utensil that allows the user to carryfood to his or her mouth (FIGS. 1A and 1B). The non-utensil food carrierextension 43 can be a food holder that reduces bare hand food contactsuch as a finger cap 205 (FIG. 2), a glove, a food wrapper, a foodgrabber, or any other similar non-utensil food holding device thatallows the user to bring food to his or her mouth using bare hands(FIGS. 1A and 2). The third party extension 52 (FIG. 7) is aself-contained device that is configured to measure dietary intake of afood substance such a liquid or solid food, a beverage, and the like.The third party extension 52 may be a chewing system that measures thenumber of time food is chewed, a manual bite counter, and like. Thethird party extension 52 processes internally the sensor signals andsends final processed results or data events to the processor unit 24 ofthe enclosure 20.

In general, the activity meter extension 44 can be any device thatmeasures human physical activity or resting periods, such as apedometer, a sleep meter, a physical apparel activity meter, a swimmingdistance meter, and any similar activity or non-activity meter device.The activity meter extension 44 has two benefits. First, the enclosure20 may have a limited set of sensors due to the small enclosure size andvolume. Therefore the measurement accuracy can be increased by adding asimilar or different set of sensors in the activity meter extension 44,such as a heart beat sensor, a sweat sensor, and the like. Second, themeasurement accuracy can be improved by adding redundancy to the systemand decentralizing the sensors at different locations, for example, theenclosure 20 in the hand and the activity meter extension 44 clipped oncloth. Suitable activity meter extensions 44 include, for example,complementary extensions 53 and the third party extensions 52 (FIG. 7).A complementary extension 53 is configured to work with the enclosure 20to detect and measure a user's activity or non-activity levels, sleepbehaviors, and the like. The activity meter extension 44 in thisinstance contains one or more of the complementary sensors 47 for thispurpose. Signals from the complementary sensor 47 are sent to theprocessor unit 24 of the enclosure 20 to improve the accuracy ofactivity or non-activity measurements. The third party extension 52 is aself-contained device that processes internally the sensor signals andsends final processed results or data events to the processor unit 24 ofthe enclosure 20.

In alternate embodiments of the present invention, a remote station 50can be used with the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment of the present invention.The remote station 50 is configured to control and monitor the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meterplatform embodiment configurable data, settings, specific events,alerts, and the like. A block diagram of an exemplary remote station 50,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, is shown inFIG. 6, which depicts a specific case where some components of theelectric circuit 11 or the enclosure 20, that is, a memory unit 32, acontrol panel 28, a user-utensil interface 30, or a processor unit 24,are located only in the remote station to save power and space. Theremote station 50 is configured to communicate via data links witheither or both the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment and third party devices 60(FIG. 7), and to alert the user of any event, statistic, and the like.The remote station 50 is either a standalone replica of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the enclosure 20 without sensors 35 or anexternal device such as a PDA, a Smartphone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a game console, an access point and the like. One ormore of the control panel 28, the human-utensil interface 30, the memoryunit 32, the data link unit 26, the battery unit 34, and the processorunit 24 may be duplicated or emulated on the remote station 50 or simplylocated on the remote station 50 instead of the dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment. Based on the sensor data/signals received from the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meterplatform embodiment, the remote station 50 can generate the sameoutputs, alerts, statistics, and the like, as the dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment. The remote station 50 may be used as a stand-alone mealduration timer, aka satiety meter, with its own meal duration targetwhich is set manually by the user or automatically when first bitedetected. Functions which can be included in the remote station 50include, for example, one or more of the following: the remote station50 can allow the user to remotely modify configurable data or settingson the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment; the remote station 50 can allow theuser to remotely visualize any available data, receive vibration alertsor hear an audio message based on alerts, where data or alerts aregenerated by the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment; the remote station 50 canreceive all the sensor data from the dietary intake regulating device 10or the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment and operateas the processor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulating device 10 orthe enclosure 20 in order to compute statistics or events; and theremote station 50 can be a game console that displays an electronic gamewhere the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment are configured to control anappearance such as actions or movements of a game character on thedisplay screen and therefore can show the character taking bites whenbites are detected by processor unit 24, or show the character goingfrom a plate to the mouth or from the mouth to the plate, or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of an alternate embodiment ofthe present invention is shown in which a third party device 60,Internet/network access 70 and a server 80, such as a website server,application server and the like, are used in conjunction with the remotestation 50 and the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment. In the illustratedembodiment, multiple data links 62 are used to provide connectivitybetween and among the various illustrated components. Third partydevices 60 are configured to provide connectivity and access to a server80, in which case suitable third party devices 60 include, for example,modems, routers, access points, PDA's, Smartphones, laptop computers,desktop computers, game consoles and the like. The third party device 60can also be configured to run a software in relation to the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meterplatform embodiment, such as a calorie balance software, a dietarymanagement software and the like, in which case suitable third partydevices 60 include, for example, PDA's, Smartphone, laptop computers,desktop computers, game consoles and the like. The third party device 60can connect to the Internet or a network 70 to store or retrieveinformation (such as dietary intake regulating device 10 data, thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment data, calorieevents, and the like) on the server 80. One or both of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the enclosure 20 and the remote station50 connect and communicate via data links 62 with the third party device60 to synchronize their data, i.e., store/retrieve information (such asdietary intake regulating device 10 data, the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment data, calorie events, and the like),on the server 80 or third party device 60 software. When connected, thedietary intake regulating device 10 or the enclosure 20 and the remotestation 50 synchronize manually or automatically their data with thedata on the user's account of the third party device 60 software orserver 80. Simultaneously the dietary intake regulating device 10 or theenclosure 20 and the remote station 50 can also send their data to athird party account of the third party device 60 software or server 80,such as an account of the personal coach, nutritionist, health primaryphysician, insurance company, and the like, to evaluate the user data;in this case data may be encrypted for security and privacy reasons and,if desired, to prevent users from falsifying the data.

The server 80 and the third party device 60 software are configured toallow the dietary intake regulating device 10 and the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment users to record any data related todietary intake, physical activity, non-activity, sleep behavior,calories and the like. In addition to recording and managing all datafrom the dietary intake regulating device 10, enclosure 20 or the remotestation 50, the third party device 60 software and server 80 canreceive, record, and track any activity from any device that counts thenumber of calories consumed and/or burned. The server 80 or the thirdparty device 60 software may or may not be specifically dedicated to thedietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activitymeter platform embodiment.

As noted above, the dietary intake regulating device 10 of the presentinvention contains one more sensors located in the electric circuits 11.The sensors are configured alone or in combination to detect a user'sbite. Various types of sensors can be used, including without limitationpressure sensors 36, stretch sensors 37, motion sensors 38 such assingle-/multi-axis angular or linear motion sensors, touch sensors 48and photo sensors 49 (See, FIGS. 1B, 2, 3, 4 and 5).

As noted above, the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment of the present invention contains one more sensors located inthe enclosure 20 and the extension 40. The sensors are configured aloneor in combination to detect a user's bite, an activity or anon-activity. Various types of sensors can be used, including withoutlimitation pressure sensors 36, stretch sensors 37, motion sensors 38such as single-/multi-axis angular or linear motion sensors, touchsensors 48 and photo sensors 49 (See, FIGS. 1B, 2, 3, 4 and 5).

The pressure sensor 36 (FIGS. 1B, 2, 3, 4 and 5) is configured to sensethe pressure 109/120 variations of the fingers or hand on either thedietary intake regulating device 10, the enclosure 20 or the non-utensilfood carrier 43 created when a bite on the food is taken like inexemplary position 108 of FIG. 3 and the hand starts leaving theproximity of the mouth such as in exemplary position 106 of FIG. 3. Thepressure sensor 36 (FIG. 3) is also configured to sense the pressure 111of the mouth or teeth on the dietary intake regulating device 10 foodcarrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42 when a bite istaken. The pressure sensor 36 is also configured to sense the pressurecreated by the food weight on the dietary intake regulating device 10food carrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42 prior tothe user's bite to automatically regulate the bite duration target, toadjust the amount of calories assigned to each bite or both. Thepressure sensor 36 may be based on sensing technologies including butnot limited to capacitive sensing, resistive sensing, surface acousticwave sensing, touch sensing, optical sensing, piezoelectric sensing,piezocapacitive sensing, piezoresistive sensing, inductive sensing,electromechanical sensing, mechanical sensing, potentiometric sensing,strain gauge sensing, and the like. Furthermore, the pressure sensingmechanism may be based on single point sensing (using a single pressuresensor) or multipoint sensing (using multiple pressure sensors). Singlepoint sensing is capable of only distinguishing a single pressure, whilemultipoint sensing is capable of distinguishing multiple pressures thatoccur at the same time. The pressure sensor 36 can be located on thefood carrier portion of the dietary intake regulating device 10, theenclosure 20 or the food carrier extension 41.

The touch sensor 48 (FIGS. 1B, 3 and 5) is configured to sense the touch111 of the mouth or teeth with the tip of dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 food carrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42in the case of single point sensing, to sense the succession of touches111 of the mouth or teeth created by the removal of the food carrierportion of the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the utensil foodcarrier extension 42 from the proximity of the mouth after a bite in thecase of multi point sensing, or both. The touch sensor may be based onsensing technologies including but not limited to capacitive sensing,resistive sensing, surface acoustic wave sensing, pressure sensing,optical sensing, piezoelectric sensing, piezocapacitive sensing,piezoresistive sensing, inductive sensing, electromechanical sensing,mechanical sensing, potentiometric sensing, strain gauge sensing, and/orthe like. Furthermore, the touch sensing mechanism may be based onsingle point sensing (using a single touch sensor) or multipoint sensing(using multiple touch sensors). Single point sensing is capable of onlydistinguishing a single touch, while multipoint sensing is capable ofdistinguishing multiple touches that occur at the same time. The touchsensing device is located on the food carrier portion of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or the utensil food carrier extension 42.

The stretch sensor 37 (FIGS. 1B, 3, 4 and 6) is configured to sense thestretch 110 between the food carrier portion and the non-food carrierportion of the dietary intake regulating device 10 when a bite is takenand the dietary intake regulating device 10 is simultaneously removedfrom the mouth or between the enclosure 20 and the utensil food carrierextension 42 when a bite is taken and the dietary intake and activitymeter platform embodiment is simultaneously removed from the mouth. Thestretch sensor 37 may be based on sensing technologies including but notlimited to capacitive sensing, resistive sensing, surface acoustic wavesensing, pressure sensing, touch sensing, optical sensing, piezoelectricsensing, piezocapacitive sensing, piezoresistive sensing, inductivesensing, electromechanical sensing, mechanical sensing, potentiometricsensing, strain gauge sensing, and the like. Furthermore, the stretchsensing mechanism may be based on single point sensing (using a singlestretch sensor) or multipoint sensing (using multiple stretch sensors).Single point sensing is capable of only distinguishing a single stretch,while multipoint sensing is capable of distinguishing multiple stretchesthat occur at the same time. The stretch sensor 37 is located on thenon-food carrier portion of the dietary intake regulating device 10 atthe junction between the food carrier portion and the non-food carrierportion or on the enclosure 20 at the junction between the enclosure 20and the utensil food carrier extension 42.

The photo sensor 49 (FIGS. 1B, 3 and 5) is configured to sense the lightintensity 112 variations on the food carrier portion of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 or on the utensil food carrier extension 42when entering and leaving the mouth. The photo sensor 49 may be based onsensing technologies including but not limited to photodiode sensing(operating in photovoltaic or photoconductive modes), phototransistorsensing, photoresistor sensing (aka Light Dependent Resistor),photovoltaic cell (aka solar cell) sensing, photomultiplier tubesensing, phototube sensing, charge-coupled device (CCD) sensing,chemical sensing (e.g., photographic plates), infrared sensing, CMOSsensing, optical sensing, LEDs sensing (reverse biased LEDs to act asphotodiodes), and the like. Furthermore, the photo sensing mechanism maybe based on single point sensing (using a single photo sensor) ormultipoint sensing (using multiple photo sensors). Single point sensingis capable of only distinguishing a single light intensity variation,while multipoint sensing is capable of distinguishing multiple lightintensity variations that occur at the same time. The photo sensor 49 islocated on the dietary intake regulating device 10 food carrier portionor on the utensil food carrier extension 42. Multipoint sensing providesmore accuracy, for example, in another embodiment, by first placingphoto sensors on both the enclosure 20 and the utensil food carrierextension 42 and, second, comparing the luminosity difference betweenthe sensors on utensil food carrier extension 42 and the enclosure 20,and therefore removing any sensor reading errors due to luminosityinterferences that can occur during a meal such as opening or closinglights or windows.

The motion sensor 38 (FIGS. 1B, 3, 4, 5 and 6) can be configured todetect the linear physical motion of the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentbetween the food receptacle and the mouth by sensing either or both thevertical linear move 105 and the horizontal linear move 107. The motionsensor 38 can also be configured to detect the angular physical motionof the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment between the food receptacle and themouth by sensing either or both the vertical angular move 103 and thehorizontal angular move 101.

The motion sensor 38 of the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment can also be configured to sense the activity of the userbased on body movements. The motion sensor 38 detects repetitivemotions, such as, the steps that the user makes during a walking orrunning motion, the stroke when rowing and the forward/upward motionwhen going up the stairs, and the like, to provide an output indicativethereof. The motion sensor 38 is also configured to sense thenon-activity of the user based on body movements. The motion sensor 38detects periods of no motion with potentially feeble and disparatemotions to measure and record daily resting, napping or sleepingintervals. The motion sensor 38 may be based on sensing technologiesincluding but not limited to accelerometer, gyroscope, compass,functional sensors, spring sensing, lever arm sensing, contact sensing,GPS sensing, capacitive sensing, resistive sensing, surface acousticwave sensing, pressure sensing, touch sensing, optical sensing,piezoelectric sensing, piezocapacitive sensing, piezoresistive sensing,inductive sensing, electromechanical sensing, mechanical sensing,potentiometric sensing, strain gauge sensing, servo devices, CMOS, MEMSand the like. Furthermore, the motion sensing mechanism may be based onsingle point sensing (using a single motion sensor) or multipointsensing (using multiple motion sensors). Single point sensing is capableof only distinguishing a single motion, while multipoint sensing iscapable of distinguishing multiple motions that occur at the same time,e.g., linear and angular motions. Furthermore, the motion sensingmechanism may be based on single-axis sensing or multi-axis sensing.Single-axis sensing is capable of only distinguishing a motion on asingle axis, while multi-axis sensing is capable of distinguishing amotion on multiple axes. The motion sensor 38 is located in the dietaryintake regulating device 10, the enclosure 20 or the extension 40.

As noted above, the processor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 is configured to accurately detect a bite using one or anycombination of the sensors located in the electric circuits 11 (S, FIGS.1B, 2, 4, and 5).

As noted above, the processor unit 24 of the enclosure 20 is configuredto accurately detect a bite, the activity of the user, and thenon-activity of the user, using one or any combination of the sensorslocated in the enclosure 20 and the extension 40 (Se, FIGS. 1B, 2, 4,and 5).

Referring now to FIGS. 1B, 2 and 3, bite detection is made possible bycombining outputs from several sensors. Bite detection can be determinedusing the following steps, which typically take place within seconds:(1) depending on the sensors in use and if the processor unit 24 detectsthat the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment are below the pre-defined linear andangular thresholds defined in Step 2, one or more of the followingoccurs, indicating that the user takes food using the dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment,—(a) the touch sensor 48 detects the transition between firstthe absence of touch when the dietary intake regulating device 10 foodcarrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42 is outside themouth with no food on it, and second the contact 111 of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 food carrier portion the utensil foodcarrier extension 42 with the food, (b) the pressure sensor 36 detectsthe transition between first the absence of pressure 111 when thedietary intake regulating device 10 food carrier portion or the foodcarrier extension 41 is outside the mouth with no food on it, and secondthe presence of pressure once the dietary intake regulating device 10food carrier portion or the food carrier extension 41 carries food, (c)the photo sensor 49 detects the transition between first the intenseluminosity on the tip of the dietary intake regulating device 10 foodcarrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42 tip when nofood or obstacle are present, and second the reduced luminosity createdby the food on the dietary intake regulating device 10 food carrierportion or the utensil food carrier extension 42; (2) based on themotion sensor 38 data, the processor unit 24 detects a vertical-uplinear motion 105 above a pre-defined linear threshold, typically around6 inches or its velocity equivalence, and/or a vertical-up angularmotion 103 above a pre-defined angular threshold, typically around 45degrees or its velocity equivalence, of the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentwhich indicate that the user starts bringing food from the foodreceptacle to his or her mouth; (3) the processor unit 24 startsrecording all the movements detected by the motion sensor 38, that is,the vertical linear motion 105 and/or horizontal linear motion 107and/or vertical angular motion 103 and/or horizontal angular motion 101.This set of recorded movements is called “forward sequence” for futurereference; (4) depending on the sensors in use, one or more of thefollowing occurs, indicating that the user receives the food in his orher mouth and takes a bite of the food, see exemplary position 108,—(a)the touch sensor 48 detects the transition between first the contact 111of the food carrier portion of the dietary intake regulating device 10or the utensil food carrier extension 42 with the food or mouth, forexample, jaw, lips, teeth, or tongue, and second the absence of touch111 when the utensil food carrier extension 42 or the food carrierportion of the dietary intake regulating device 10 leaves the proximityof the mouth, (b) the pressure sensor 36 detects the transition betweenfirst the increased pressure 111 of the mouth on the dietary intakeregulating device 10 food carrier portion or the utensil food carrierextension 42 while biting and simultaneously removing food from mouth,and second the reduced pressure once the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodimentleaves the proximity of the mouth, (c) the pressure sensor 36 detectsthe transition between first the increased pressure 109/120 of the handor fingers on the food or non-food carrier portion of the dietary intakeregulating device 10, the enclosure 20 or the non-utensil food carrier43 while biting and simultaneously removing food from mouth, and secondthe reduced pressure once the dietary intake regulating device 10 or thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment leaves theproximity of the mouth, (d) the photo sensor 49 detects the transitionbetween first the reduced luminosity 112 on the tip of the dietaryintake regulating device 10 food carrier portion or the utensil foodcarrier extension 42 tip when the food is in the mouth, and second themore intense luminosity when the dietary intake regulating device 10food carrier portion or the utensil food carrier extension 42 leave theproximity of the mouth, (e) the stretch sensor 37 detects the transitionbetween first the stretch 110 that occurs on the dietary intakeregulating device 10 between the food and the non-food carrier portionsor on the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment betweenthe enclosure 20 and the utensil food carrier extension 42 while bitingand simultaneously removing the dietary intake regulating device 10 orthe dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment from themouth, and second the absence of stretch when the dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment are outside of mouth; (5) based on motion sensor 38 data, theprocessor unit 24 stops the recording of motions which was initiallystarted at Step 3, stores the forward sequence data in memory unit 32,starts again recording all movements as in Step 2, and detects abackward sequence oppositely matching the forward sequence by at least apre-defined percentage, typically 50%; and (6) the bite is officiallydetected and recorded in the memory unit 32 as such, and the bitedetection process restarts at Step 1. Also shown in FIG. 3 forillustration purposes are position locations 100, 102, 104, 106 and 108of the dietary intake regulating device 10 during the bite detectionprocess.

Alternatively, bite detection is also possible, though less accurate, bygoing through the following shorter sequences: Steps 1/6, Steps 2/6,Steps 3/5/6, Steps 4/6, Steps 1/2/6, Steps 1/3/5/6, Steps 1/4/6, Steps1/2/3/5/6, Steps 1/2/4/6, Steps 1/3/4/5/6, Steps 2/3/5/6, Steps 2/4/6,Steps 2/3/4/5/6, Steps 3/4/5/6. If Step 1 is not included in one of theforegoing shorter sequences, then the bite detection process restarts atthe first step of the shorter sequence instead of Step 1. If therecorded movement goes below the Step 2 pre-defined thresholds beforereaching Step 4 of the bite detection process then, if applicable, thebite detection process restarts at Step 2 and the processor unit 24stops recording motions which were initially started at Step 2. If therecorded movement goes below the Step 2 pre-defined thresholds at anypoint in time while at Step 3 then the processor unit 24 stops recordingand the bite detection process restarts at Step 2. If Steps 3 and 5 areincluded in one of the shorter sequences while Step 4 is not included,then Step 5 becomes as follows: based on motion sensor 38 data, theprocessor unit 24 detects a backward sequence of movements oppositelymatching the forward sequence by at least a pre-defined percentage,typically 50%. The processor unit 24 detects accurately the pre-definedthresholds mentioned at Step 1 and defined at Step 2 by automaticallyresetting and recording the vertical reference level of the foodreceptacle each time the dietary intake regulating device 10 or thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment are kept immobilemore than a pre-defined time, typically 15 seconds, which occurs whenthe user rests the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment at the food verticallevel, for example on the food receptacle; for accuracy this processshould occur at least one time per meal, typically when powering on thedietary intake regulating device 10.

Activity detection occurs when an activity is sensed by the motionsensors 38 of the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment.The activity is then classified as a step motion or as a non-stepmotion. If an activity is detected as a step motion at a low rate, thenthe motion is categorized as walking and if at a high rate, then themotion is categorized as running. If an activity is detected but not asa step motion, the activity is classified as non-step motion. If anactivity is detected as non-step motion for a duration of less than athreshold, typically two minutes, then the motion is categorized aseffort and if for a duration of more than the threshold, then the motionis categorized as a workout. Each walking/running/effort/workoutcategories are recorded separately and may correspond to differentlevels of negative calorie assignments.

Non-activity detection occurs when no or little activity is sensed bythe motion sensors 38 of the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment. If the period of non-activity lasts for more than a lowthreshold, typically 5 minutes, it is categorized as rest, for more thana medium threshold, typically 15 minutes, it is categorized as a nap andfor more than a high threshold, typically 60 minutes, it is categorizedas sleep. Each rest/nap/sleep categories are recorded separately and maycorrespond to different levels of negative or positive calorieassignments.

The processor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulating device 10 or theenclosure 20, in addition to being configured to accurately detect abite (in the case of the dietary intake regulating device 10 and thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment), the activity ofthe user, and the non-activity of the user (in the case of the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment), can also be configuredto perform various other functions and to detect or calculate variousother parameters, including without limitation functions and parameterssuch as a bite counter, a bite duration timer, a meal duration timer, ameal interval timer, a caloric value, a caloric data calculator, a biteduration target, a meal duration target and a caloric balance score.

The bite duration target is a pre-defined value set by the user orautomatically generated based on user characteristics. The bite durationtarget corresponds to the minimum recommended chewing duration after abite is taken in order to properly chew food prior to ingurgitate. Therecommended bite duration target is typically about 18 seconds. Thepressure sensor 36 on the food carrier portion of the dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the food carrier extension 41 can be used tosense the weight of the food on the food carrier prior to the bitedetection to augment/reduce proportionally the bite duration target whenheavy/light food is sensed.

The bite counter is configured to keep track of the number of bitesduring a meal. Each bite taken is converted into calories based oneither or both the user's input and food weight.

The bite duration timer is configured to keep track of the durationbetween two bites and to verify if the time interval between two bitesis smaller or greater than the bite duration target. The bite durationtimer and the bite counter are computed as follows: (a) the bite counteris reset when the first bite of the meal is detected; (b) the bitecounter is incremented, the bite duration timer is reset and then startsand the date and time of the new bite is recorded; (c) the relevanteating statistics are signaled to the user such as the bite countervalue, the bite duration timer, the remaining time before bite durationtarget and the like; (d) an alert is triggered if the bite durationtimer is greater than the bite duration target; (e) a new bite isdetected; (f) the bite duration timer is stopped and the duration of theprevious bite is recorded in memory; and (g) the process restarts atstep (b) unless the end of the meal is detected which stops the biteduration timer.

The meal duration target is a value defined by the user or automaticallygenerated based on user characteristics, such as body weight, bodyheight, and the like. The meal duration target corresponds ideally tothe minimum recommended length of a meal in order to feel satiety. Therecommended meal duration target is typically about 20 minutes.

The meal duration timer is configured to keep track of the duration ofthe meal and to verify if the meal length was greater or less than themeal duration target. The first bite of the meal is detected when a biteis detected while the meal duration timer is stopped. The meal durationtimer is initialized and started when the device or platform detects thefirst bite of the meal. The meal duration is displayed as either or boththe time elapsed of the meal since the first bite and the remaining timebefore reaching the meal duration target. The end of the meal isdetected after no bite occurs for more than a designated number ofminutes (typically 10 minutes), when the user manually turns the deviceor platform off, or when the device or platform automatically shuts-off.Once the end of the meal is detected, the meal duration timer is stoppedand the time elapsed between the last detected bite and the end of themeal is removed from the meal duration timer. Therefore, the mealduration corresponds to the duration between the first detected bite andthe last detected bite of the meal. The date and time of the mealcorresponds to the date and time of the first bite of the meal. Thedate, time and duration of the meal is stored in the memory unit 32, andthe dietary intake regulating 10 device or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment may now shut-off if manually orautomatically requested in the foregoing steps.

The meal interval timer is configured to keep track of the time elapsedsince the end of the last recorded meal. One pre-defined “low”threshold, typically 3 hours, is set to differentiate between thecategories “Not allowed to eat” and “Eat at anytime”. Anotherpre-defined “high” threshold, typically 5 hours, is set to alert theuser when he or she enters the “Urgent to eat now” category. At any timethe user can turn on the dietary intake regulating device 10, thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment or the remotestation 50 and verify the time elapsed and the category type. Therefore,when the user turns the device, platform, or remote station on, he orshe can automatically visualize if it is too early or time to eat.Furthermore automatic alerts are generated based on user's pre-definedgoals and can optionally turn on the device, the platform, or the remotestation to signal to the user when too much time has elapsed since theend of the last meal, when a user's pre-defined goal is reached or whenentering the “Urgent to eat now” category.

The caloric value is computed by the processor unit 24 based oninformation from the user, the dietary intake regulating device 10, thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment, the remotestation 50 and, if desired, third party devices 60, or any combinationof the foregoing devices. The caloric value is stored in the caloricdata.

The caloric data calculator is configured to compute the caloric data.The caloric data is created for each detected event from which caloriesburned or gained can be estimated. The caloric data contains the dateand time stamps for the event, any information that can later beconverted into a caloric value, such as the number of steps, the numberof bites, the quantity and type of food or liquid, the duration and typeof an activity (e.g., swimming duration, and the like), a positive ornegative caloric value, such as, “+50” calories, “−120” calories, andthe like, or any combination of the foregoing information. The caloricdata is first generated by the dietary intake regulating device 10, thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment, the remotestation 50 or third party devices 60, such as a pedometer, a PDA, aSmartphone, a laptop computer, and the like. The third party devices 60connect manually or automatically to the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10, the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment, orthe remote station 50 via data links. The third party devices 60 sendthe caloric data to the dietary intake regulating device 10, the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment or the remote station 50.The processor unit 24 computes the caloric value, if not already presentin the caloric data, based on the information contained in the caloricdata. The caloric value is integrated in the caloric data. The newlyprocessed caloric data is stored in the memory unit 32.

The calorie balance score is configured to track on-the-fly the caloriebalance and the calories in/out of the user. The calorie balance scoreis displayed and constantly updated on the user-utensil interface 30.The calorie balance score may be displayed as a daily, weekly, monthlyor yearly score or the like, as desired. The calorie balance score isobtained by processing the caloric data of the dietary intake regulatingdevice 10, the dietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment(enclosure 20 and/or the extension 40), the remote station 50, and/orthird party devices 60. The calorie balance score is computed by theprocessor unit 24 of the dietary intake regulating device 10, thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment or the remotestation 50 and updated as soon as a new caloric data is stored in thememory unit 32. The dietary intake regulating device 10, the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment or the remote station 50alert the user based on user's pre-defined calorie balance score goals,e.g., when the calorie balance score goes from positive to negative ornegative to positive, to stop eating during a meal to reduce calorieintake, or to increase the current physical activity to burn morecalories.

If desired, the dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietaryintake and activity meter platform embodiment of the present inventioncan incorporate other functions or features in addition to thosediscussed above, including without limitation a music player, an FM/AMradio, a video player, a clock, an alarm clock, a count-up or count-downtimer and the like.

The music player can be controlled manually by the user or automaticallybased on alert types. The dietary intake regulating device 10 or thedietary intake and activity meter platform embodiment may play soundtracks with relaxing music, subliminal or audible messages during themeal and adapt the music or messages based on generated alerts todevelop healthy eating (in the case of device 10 and the platformembodiment) and sports (in the case of the platform embodiment) habits.The dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment may decode any type of audio formatsuch as WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA, and the like.

The FM/AM radio and the video player can be controlled manually by theuser or automatically based on alert types. The dietary intakeregulating device 10 or the dietary intake and activity meter platformembodiment may play any type of video, such as movies, music videos, andthe like with or without subliminal pictures to help the usermaintaining good eating (in the case of device 10 and platformembodiment) or sports (in the case of platform embodiment) habits. Thedevice or platform may adapt the video or messages based on generatedalerts. The dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intakeand activity meter platform embodiment may decode any type of videoformat such as DivX, MPEG, SWF, MOV, MP4, AVI, DVD, VCD, and the like.

The dietary intake regulating device 10 or the dietary intake andactivity meter platform embodiment of the present invention can alsoincorporate: the clock with multiple clocks & time zones and a calendar,to tag all events, such as bites (in the case of device 10 and platformembodiment) or steps (in the case of platform embodiment), with time anddate stamps; the alarm clock to alert the user of specific events, suchas meal, snack, or sport time; and the count-up or countdown timer tocount to/from a target date and time with alarm.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited tothe embodiments disclosed herein as such embodiments may vary somewhat.It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is usedfor the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting in scope and that limitations are only providedby the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for promoting humanhealth, the method comprising: performing the following steps by atleast one processor; establishing a communication link between theprocessor, a physical activity monitoring device monitoring physicalactivity of a user, and an action device used by the user, wherein theprocessor controls ability of the user to access functionality of theaction device selected from the group consisting of one or more of: (1)playing a videogame, (2) watching a video display of the action device,and (3) watching television; receiving health-related information of theuser from the physical activity monitoring device; receiving one or morethresholds associated with health-related goals of the user, wherein thetype of the health-related information and the type of the one or morethresholds are selected from the group consisting of one or more of: (1)type of activity, (2) timing of activity, (3) quality of activity, (4)quantity of activity, (5) location of activity, (6) duration ofactivity, (7) number of steps, (8) number of stairs the user takes, (9)calories, (10) distance, (11) energy intake, (12) energy expenditure,and (13) energy balance; receiving action-related information from theaction device, wherein the action-related information comprisesinformation of functionality of the action device utilized by the user,and implementing a feedback loop comprising: (a) continuously monitoringthe received action-related information of the action device, (b)comparing the health-related information with at least one of thecorresponding one or more thresholds, and (c) determining whether atleast one of the one or more thresholds is met, and (d) based on thedetermination that at least one of the one or more thresholds is met,sending at least one computer-executable instruction to the actiondevice to allow or remove access to the functionality of the actiondevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprisesestablishing a communication link between a sleep monitoring devicemonitoring the user and the action device; receiving secondhealth-related information corresponding to the user from the sleepmonitoring device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method furthercomprises sending, based on the comparison results, a notification tothe user related to at least one of (1) the one or more health-relatedgoals, (2) the health-related information and (3) the action-relatedinformation.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action device is atelevision or comprises a video display.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the action is watching a video display or television, andwherein allowing or removing access to a functionality of the actiondevice controls one or more of: duration of the action, what type ofvideo display output can be watched by the user, and what type oftelevision output can be watched by the user.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the action device is a video game console.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the action is playing videogame, and wherein allowingor removing access to a functionality of the action device controls oneor more of: (1) duration of the action, and (2) what type of videogamecan be played by the user.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theaction-related information is selected from the group consisting of oneor more of: (1) an on-off status of the action device, (2) a duration ofthe use of the functionality, (3) a type of video game displayed orimplemented by the action device, (4) a type of video display outputdisplayed or implemented by the action device, and (5) a type oftelevision program displayed or implemented by the action device.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least one of: (1) the health-relatedinformation and (2) the action-related information includes informationthat is obtained from one or more cameras.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein at least one of: (1) the health-related information and (2) theaction-related information includes information obtained from monitoringthe user's brain waves.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or moreof: (1) the health-related information, (2) the action-relatedinformation and (3) the computer-executable instruction is sent orreceived through at least one wireless communication link.
 12. Acomputer system for encouraging healthy living, the system comprising: ahealth information receiving component configured to receivehealth-related information corresponding to one or more users from oneor more physical activity monitoring devices corresponding to each user,wherein the type of the health-related information is selected from thegroup consisting of one or more of (1) type of activity, (2) timing ofactivity, (3) quality of activity, (4) quantity of activity, (5)location of activity, (6) duration of activity, (7) number of steps, (8)number of stairs the user takes, (9) calories, (10) distance, (11)energy intake, (12) energy expenditure, and (13) energy balance; ahealth data store configured to store health-related information aboutthe one or more users; a goal management component configured to receiveand track one or more thresholds corresponding to health-related goalsof each user and process the received health-related information todetermine whether the one or more thresholds is met; an activity requestcomponent configured to receive action-related information from one ormore action devices corresponding to each user, the activity requestcomponent controlling ability of the user to access functionality of theaction device, wherein the functionality is selected from the groupconsisting of one or more of: shopping, playing video game, watchingvideo display, and watching television, wherein the action-relatedinformation is selected from the group consisting of one or more of: (1)an on-off status of the action device, (2) a duration of the use of thefunctionality, (3) a type of video game displayed or implemented by theaction device, (4) a type of video display output displayed orimplemented by the action device, and (5) a type of television programdisplayed or implemented by the action device; a health action componentconfigured to take actions to promote user's progress towards the user'shealth-related goals by implementing a feedback loop comprising: (i)continuously monitoring the received action-related information of theaction device, (ii) comparing the health-related information with atleast one of the one or more thresholds, and (iii) determining whetherat least one of the one or more thresholds is met, and (iv) based on thedetermination that at least one of the one or more thresholds is met,sending at least one computer-executable instruction to the actiondevice to allow or remove access to the functionality of the actiondevice to control at least one of: duration of the action, what can bepurchased by the user, what type of videogame can be played by the user,what type of video display output can be watched by the user, or whattype of television program can be watched by the user; and a processorand memory configured to execute software instructions, wherein thesoftware instructions implement the health information receivingcomponent, the health data store, the goal management component, theactivity request component and the health action component.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12 wherein the health information receiving component isfurther configured to receive second health-related informationcorresponding to one or more users from one or more sleep monitoringdevices
 14. The system of claim 12 wherein at least one of the one ormore physical activity monitoring devices is also a sleep monitoringdevice.
 15. The system of claim 12 wherein the system is furtherconfigured to manage user groups and provide access level controls. 16.A computer-implemented method for promoting human health, the methodcomprising: performing the following steps by at least one processor;establishing a communication link between the processor, a physicalactivity monitoring device monitoring a user and an action device usedby the user, wherein the processor controls ability of the user toaccess functionality of the action device selected from the groupconsisting of one or more of (1) eating, (2) shopping, (3) playing videogame, (4) watching a video display of the action device and (5) watchingtelevision; receiving health-related information of the user from thephysical activity monitoring device, wherein the health-relatedinformation is at least based on data monitored by the physical activitymonitoring device, and wherein the type of the health-relatedinformation is selected from the group consisting of one or more of: (1)type of activity, (2) timing of activity, (3) quality of activity, (4)quantity of activity, (5) location of activity, (6) duration ofactivity, (7) number of steps, (8) number of stairs the user takes, (9)calories, (10) distance, (11) energy intake, (12) energy expenditure,and (13) energy balance; receiving one or more thresholds associatedwith health-related goals of the user, wherein the type of thehealth-related information and the type of the one or more thresholdscorrespond to one another; receiving action-related information from theaction device, wherein the action-related information comprisesinformation of functionality of the action device utilized by the user;and implementing a feedback loop comprising: (i) continuously monitoringthe received action-related information of the action device, (ii)comparing the health-related information with at least one of thecorresponding one or more thresholds, (iii) determining whether at leastone of the one or more thresholds is met, and (iv) based on thedetermination that at least one of the one or more thresholds is met,sending at least one computer-executable instruction to the actiondevice to allow or remove access to the functionality of the actiondevice to control at least one of: duration of the action, what can bepurchased by the user, what can be eaten by the user, what type ofvideogame can be played by the user, what type of video display outputcan be watched by the user, or what type of television output can bewatched by the user.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the physicalactivity monitoring device is also a sleep monitoring device.
 18. Themethod of claim 16 further comprising authenticating or identifying theuser.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the type of the health-relatedinformation and the type of the one or more thresholds are selected fromthe group consisting of one or more of: (1) type of activity, (2) timingof activity, (3) quality of activity, (4) quantity of activity, (5)location of activity, (6) duration of activity, (7) number of steps, (8)number of stairs the user takes, (9) calories, (10) distance, (11)energy intake, (12) energy expenditure, and (13) energy balance.
 20. Themethod of claim 16, wherein one or more of: (1) the health-relatedinformation, (2) the action-related information and (3) thecomputer-executable instruction is sent or received through at least onewireless communication link.